Hand-held Playstations used in reading and math classes

Wednesday

Jan 28, 2009 at 12:01 AMJan 28, 2009 at 2:45 AM

Students at Cohasset’s Joseph Osgood and Deer Hill elementary schools are enthused when the PlayStation Portables come out. The two schools have begun using an interactive video-game program called Achieve Now, which uses animated characters, color and music to help students with reading, language arts and math.

Maureen McCarthy

Kids at most schools are told to check their video games at the door. At the Joseph Osgood and Deer Hill elementary schools in Cohasset, a new type of video-game system is not only welcome in the classroom, it’s being used to help children learn.

The Osgood and Deer Hill schools have begun using an interactive video-game program called Achieve Now by Plato Learning. It uses animated characters, color and music to help students with reading, language arts and math.

“If we are going to prepare children for the 21st century, we need to use 21st-century tools,” Osgood Principal Janet Sheehan said. “This program focuses on skill development, comprehension and practice,” she said.

Fifty PlayStation Portables, handheld game consoles, were purchased – 25 for each school. They are used once a week by students in grades 1 through 5. They are also available to children during the before-and-after school program.

“It is fun and exciting when the PSPs are on the schedule because there are really fun games that are educational,” second-grader Scott Lucitt said during a reading and language arts lesson last week. “There are math games, too, where we are learning about time and about calendars.”

Scott is one of many classroom “student experts,” kids who help classmates maneuver through various levels of learning.

“It feels good to help other people,” said expert helper Sofia Whetstone, 7.

“Overall, my students are extremely excited,” said Margaret Holland, Scott and Sofia’s teacher. “The most rewarding aspect is that 100 percent of the students are fully engaged.”

During a reading lesson, students wearing earphones worked their way through an interactive archaeological adventure. The lesson emphasized words with ending sounds “ed,” “ing” and “es.”

“It feels like you did a great job on something you just learned,” Sofia said. “It feels great to go to the next level.”

Students complete individual assessments after each lesson.

The program was paid for by a state educational grant and included the interactive software, school and home learning activities, teacher materials, professional development and student assessment. Sheehan said she knows of no other school system on the South Shore or Cape Cod using this program.

“We hear many educators talk about needing to find something different than standing in front of the blackboard,” Sheehan said. “We need to find other ways to excite children about learning.”